Chapter 103: The Encirclement Plan

Yuto suddenly felt a pain in his lower abdomen. This was due to the drastic expansion and contraction of chakra in certain meridians and acupuncture points, causing muscle spasms and nerve plexus tremors.

In simpler terms, he had a stitch in his side.

'They almost had me roaring like a lion, didn't it?'

Yuto thought bitterly, his emotions fluctuating wildly.

However, the reactions of the others in the office were similar to Yuto's.

The Moon God being Shinosuke Hyuga sounded like a bad joke, but upon closer thought, it seemed plausible.

Shinosuke and his branch family guardians had all disappeared, leaving no bodies to be found. No one could prove he was dead. As for that eye... in the shinobi world, organ transplantation technology was quite advanced, and there were black markets in the underworld specializing in such trades. Coercion through force wasn't difficult at all.

"This is impossible!" Hiashi gritted his teeth and said, "Lord Hokage, Shinosuke grew up under my watch. He would never..."

"Calm down, Hiashi," Hiruzen Sarutobi reassured him. "This is just a small conjecture of mine. It's the most likely possibility, but it's still just a possibility."

Hiashi opened his mouth but didn't know what to say.

With Hiruzen's personality, if he said it was a "conjecture," it meant he was at least seventy to eighty percent certain. He had fought the Moon God the longest and had vaguely sensed his identity, which was quite normal.

Moreover, even Hiashi himself admitted that if Shinosuke were put in the Moon God's position, many doubts could be explained.

After calming Hiashi, Hiruzen continued, "I called you here today for two reasons."

"First, Orochimaru's departure from the village has greatly impacted the front line. Onoki, that senile, has noticed this and is putting increasing pressure on us in the Land of Rain. We need to appoint a new vice commander there." He paused and beckoned to Yuto, "Yuto, you will be the vice commander assisting Minato in the Land of Rain."

"Yes, Lord Hokage," Yuto replied, saluting and accepting the token and scroll.

"I will announce Yuto's promotion this afternoon... Now, on to the second point."

Everyone focused, knowing this was the main reason for today's meeting.

"Regarding the Moon God, this person has targeted Konoha twice and possesses formidable ninjutsu. He is a significant threat. His identity is mysterious, and his whereabouts are hard to track. But that doesn't mean we should sit and wait for him to strike again."

"His true motives are unclear, but his repeated abductions of Hyuga, Kaguya, and Senju bloodlines show his keen interest in powerful kekkei genkai."

"This is something we can exploit, provided we can offer bait he cannot refuse."

"Bait."

Everyone pondered the term. Danzo, always one to stab from the shadows, immediately looked at Fugaku.

Fugaku frowned in displeasure and was about to speak when Hiruzen continued, "In Konoha, the most valuable kekkei genkai are from the Senju, Hyuga, and Uchiha clans. The Moon God has already obtained the first two, leaving only the Sharingan."

"Lord Third!" Fugaku suddenly interrupted, "The glory of the Sharingan belongs to the Uchiha alone."

His tone was firm, his refusal unwavering.

For bloodline limit clans, maintaining their unique identity was fundamental in the shinobi world. The unspoken rule was clan first, village second.

Even a weaker clan like the Inuzuka would rebel if Konoha forced them to hand over their beast-taming secrets and summoning scrolls.

Hiashi suddenly spoke up, "The village's foundation was built on ensuring shinobi clans' interests."

In this moment, the usually opposing Uchiha and Hyuga stood on the same side. Even the loyal Ino-Shika-Cho trio looked at Hiruzen, wanting to speak but holding back.

Hiruzen's earlier words had infringed on all shinobi clans' interests.

"I understand," Hiruzen said solemnly. "The village will respect each clan's choices. I swear by my title as Hokage that Konoha will protect all kekkei genkai and prevent any from leaking."

The heads of the five major shinobi clans seemed slightly relieved.

"The matter of bait will be handled by me alone. I won't force you into a difficult position," Hiruzen said calmly. "I will proceed with the assumption that 'the Moon God is Shinosuke Hyuga.'"

"Of course, the trap's location and the powerful forces needed to kill the Moon God are crucial. For this, I need ample time to prepare."

Everyone understood that killing the Moon God with just those present was impossible. Maybe they could win, but the Moon God could fly! He could easily escape.

To kill the Moon God, Konoha's top combat power must be gathered, and perhaps even cooperation with other shinobi villages was necessary. In today's escalating war, these two requirements were extremely difficult to achieve.

Even for Hiruzen, it would take a long time to arrange.

As for whether they could kill him with all their might... no one considered this. If he were truly invincible, he wouldn't wear a mask.

"This matter is known only to those present. For a long time, I will make some strange orders. I hope you can cooperate and cover for me."

"Yuto, you are about to take up the position of deputy commander on the Land of Rain front. You will also need to assist in the Moon God encirclement plan."

"After all, there is no better hunting ground than the rain."

Hiruzen gave a few more instructions.

The time, specific location, and personnel were all undecided, making it seem like a hollow plan.

But everyone knew that once the encirclement plan was truly launched, it would be a major event that would shake the entire shinobi world, involving countless people!

Yuto left the Hokage building, feeling a chill down his spine.

The last raid on Konoha, indirectly forcing Orochimaru to leave, had completely angered Hiruzen.

The old man was planning something big. Although Yuto doubted the success rate of getting top fighters from other villages to participate, he had no interest in a direct confrontation.

However, if Hiruzen prepared bait that the Moon God couldn't refuse, and if the Moon God didn't show up...

It meant one of the eleven people present had leaked the information.

Excluding Hiruzen, it was a one-in-ten chance, a highly dangerous situation.

Caught between a rock and a hard place.

Yuto licked his lips.

How much of what Hiruzen said today was true?

The suspicion that "Shinosuke is the Moon God" seemed reasonable, but the only solid evidence was "marks of Gentle Fist during combat."

Many people could use Gentle Fist, broadening the range to Hiashi, Hizashi, Yuto...

'Heh, Hiruzen called us for this meeting. Was he also testing Hiashi and me?'

Yuto furrowed his brows and rubbed his temples.

'Forget it... be prepared and take it one step at a time.'

A shinobi ultimately speaks with kunai!

In the Hokage building, Hiruzen stood before Koharu and Homura.

"Danzo," Koharu began softly, "honestly, how confident are you that Shinosuke Hyuga is the Moon God?"

"Eighty percent!"

The Third Hokage exhaled a ring of smoke, obscuring his face like a mountain in the clouds. "But we can't rule out other Hyuga clan members. Even Hiashi and Yuto today are suspects."

"The range is too large. We can't eliminate them one by one. Mishandling it might strain our relationship with the Hyuga clan," Koharu frowned, worried that Hiruzen's actions could cause internal turmoil.

"I have it under control. Focus on the key figures, including Hiashi, Meiko, and all main family members, as well as branch family members like Yuto and others."

"Their suspicions aren't significant. As long as they appear with the Moon God, there's no issue."

"Regardless, he must die. This time he stole the First Hokage's cells and drove away Orochimaru... If he stirs up trouble again, what will he take? My life?"

Hiruzen paused and revealed the first step of the encirclement plan.

"Leak some information to the people in Kirigakure. Let them know we respect Yagura and are willing to return his body..."

A grand war was slowly taking shape.

(End of Chapter)